The graph above compares the 5-year cost of ownership for all of BMW’s vehicles. This is a mix of some 2011 as well as 2012 model year vehicles. Please refer to the table below to see which specific models and variations thereof are being depicted in the graph.

The most interesting thing you’ll see is that all of the BMW’s are clustered in a pattern that form a diagonal line. There seems to be almost a 1:1 relationship between the price of a BMW and what it costs to operate it, but upon closer inspection, the 5-year ownership cost is a bit lower than the car price. Dividing the ownership cost by the car price reveals the true relationship, that is, how much of the car price does it take to operate it for 5 years? (The diagonal gray line represents a 1:1 ratio where the car price is equal to the 5 year owernship cost). You’ll also observe that the ownership cost of the BMW 128i is actually higher than the ownership cost of the Tesla Model S, and ironically, the Tesla Model S costs almost double the price of the BMW 128i

If you look at the table below, you’ll see that the price of the 128i Coupe is $29,450 while the ownership cost is just a bit higher at $33,316. How much higher? Let’s calculate it.

$29,450 5-Year Ownership Cost / $33,316 MSRP = 1.13

Thus, the 128i has an ownership cost that exceeds the price of the car by 13% since it is 1.13 times greater. This number is very useful. It reveals that the BMW 128i is more expensive to use, than it is to buy! However, you can see graphically, that most BMW automobiles have ownership costs that are a bit lower than the price of each car. This is reflected in the average Car Value Index of 0.96 displayed in the table above.

5-Year Ownership Cost / Price of car = Car Value Index

We found this index useful too in comparing cars to each other. It reveals car value. Basically, if a car costs less to operate than the price, then its clearly a better deal, that is, of course, if the car is priced fairly based on its style, options and features. So we gave this index a name. We call it the “Car Value Index” , or “CVI”. A CVI below 1.0, means the car is cheaper to operate than it is to purchase, or more expensive to operate than it is to buy if it is is greater than 1.0. You can read more about it here: New Car Value Index Reveals Best Deals.

A Car Value Index of 1.13 is pretty average for a gasoline-fueled car. The 128i has a depreciation rate of 52% in 5 years, so it loses about half of its value in that period of time. That’s actually pretty good and not as bad as some Saab, Mercedes and other Audi vehicles that lose 70% of their value within that same time period, but not as good as some Nissan vehicles that only lose 37% of their value. The BMW have an average cost for maintenance and repairs that approximate $5,700, which is pretty good. That’s not nearly as bad as some vehicles that have repair and maintenance costs that approximate $16,000! Nevertheless, The Tesla Model S is clearly a better value.

In the table below, depreciation is displayed in the “DEP” column. “MSRP” is the Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price. The “SAVINGS” column reflects how much you would save in a 5 year period by purchasing a Tesla Model S instead of the Acura on that line.

The Tesla Model S is cheaper to operate than any of BMW car models and configurations. Their cars cost anywhere from a bit over $29,000 to about $106,000, with one model approximating $143,000. Ironically, the $56,500 BMW 535i sedan cost just $900 less than the Tesla Model S, but costs about $43,500 to operate; about $12,000 more than the operation cost of the Model S.

5-Year Cost of Ownership:

Tesla Model S vs BMW

In the table below, cost of ownership is estimated for the purchase of new 2011 and 2012 BMW cars and the Tesla Model S. The purpose is to compare your estimated cost of ownership for 5 years to an BMW vehicle you may potentially buy, to that of a Tesla Model S. Here cost of ownership is calculated by adding the following:

Adding the estimated 5 year cost of fuel, cost of maintenance, cost of repairs, and the loss of value (depreciation) of the vehicle gives us our estimated ownership costs for a vehicle after a 5 year period.

Our sampling of numbers is obtained using Edmund’s TCO (True Cost of Ownership) Calculator. At this time, we are unable to account for insurance cost differences because we don’t as of yet have insurance data for the Tesla Model S. We hope to have this as we approach the July 2012 release date and will at that time include that in our calculation. We also are not accounting for differences in taxes and fees since those vary too much from state to state and we are estimating costs based on a sample of data for only 1 zip code in Los Angeles, California.

Our Total owernship costs calculation does not include financing costs because it is too variable. We don’t know who will need financing and if so, how much. Here is some guidance, however, that will enable you to add it to our calculation based on your own individual needs.

ADDING FINANCING TO YOUR COST OF OWNERSHIP

On Tesla Motors’ website, their financing link, reveals that financing is available from Bank of America if you are purchasing a Tesla in the United States. Interest rates being quoted by Bank of America are 2.74% for a 60-month loan, and 2.99% for a 72-month loan. Since we are examining a 5-year ownership costs, lets consider financing costs using the 60-month term loan. Payments at that rate would be $187.54.

($187.54 per month) x 60 mths = $10,712

Thus from that $10,000 you are borrowing, you will end up paying an additional $712 in interest. If you you are comparing the cost of a $30,000 car to the $49,400 (after federal tax credit) price of a Tesla Model S. You would have to borrow about $20,000 more to pay for the Model S since it costs almost $20,000 more than a $30,000 car. The additional cost to do that would be:

($712 of interest per $10,000) x 2 = $1,424

So you would add $1424 to the total ownership cost for the Model S.

DEPRECIATION: LOSS OF CAR VALUE

If you were to sell your BMW, you’d get the price you paid, minus that loss of value (depreciation) that occurred within that 5-year period. For the purpose of this comparison, we used 58% depreciation for the Tesla Model S suggesting that the Model S would lose more than half of its value after 5 years. This was based on Edmunds.com estimate of 58% depreciation on the Nissan Leaf (which is also an EV). We think, however, that the loss of value for the Tesla Model S will be less because these cars, with their low maintenance and their cheap cost for fueling, will be very desirable in the used car market (as observed today with the used market for 2003 Toyota RAV4 EVs) while the resale value of gasoline-based vehicles will continue to diminish over time as they become less desirable. Also, the Tesla Model S from the perspective of styling, cargo space, and ability to travel further per charge makes it a more desirable car than the Nissan Leaf.

COSTS NOT INCLUDED IN ESTIMATE

Please note, this calculation does not take into account differences in insurance costs and real maintenance and repair costs since we don’t know what those are as of yet for the Tesla Model S. It does not take into account taxes and registration fees nor cost for financing; so it does not reflect all potential costs. Also, these estimates are based on pricing in Los Angeles. Repair, maintenance, and fuel costs in different parts of the country will vary somewhat. Electricity costs vary in different parts of the country as well, and they are particularly high in the state of Alaska and especially in the state of Hawaii. This will, however, give you a great perspective on difference in costs of ownership on a high percentage of overall potential costs. To see more specific details on financing and insurance and to get cost of ownership that reflect the zip code you live in, please visit Edmunds TCO.

Please use this as a guideline only. By reading this, you acknowledge that not every possible scenario has been factored into these estimates since some data is unknown and depreciation and fuel costs are speculative based on past depreciation data and on forecasted fuel costs. Actual depreciation and actual fuel costs will be unknown until the time comes. Any decision you make to purchase a Tesla Model S, you understand that you do at your own discretion.